


Hot Baths

by Nebulad



Series: Vir Sumeil [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: AU - GreyWarden!Tamlen, AU - more than one warden, F/M, Fluff, Multiple Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-20 23:58:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6030594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebulad/pseuds/Nebulad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You go,” he insisted, trying to force himself to sound gentle. Noll put up with him and he was grateful, but for once she didn’t understand why he was acting this way. He’d never been a particularly selfless elf, often toeing the line of being a flat-out bully. Back then he’d been fit and careless and nothing had ever hurt before.</p><p>The Blight had hurt. It had hurt enough to justify his caution even when Noll teased him for it.</p><p>“Get in the tub, Tam,” she said, not lifting her head from the pillows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot Baths

The Dalish didn’t have hot baths, and frankly the whole thing sounded like _shemlen_ nonsense to Tamlen. There didn’t seem to be a discernable benefit besides the luxury, and that put him on edge— especially as they were forced to stay in the brothel. No reputable place in Denerim would serve five Grey Wardens and even if it was never explicitly stated that they _were_ of the Order, they were unwelcome.

The Pearl welcomed all sorts, though, and so they’d broken off into groups and pairs to bed down for the night. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t have just camped outside of city, but both Cousland and Tabris seemed adamant that they remain within the walls for the foreseeable future. The human had business in the Gnawed Noble, and the flat-ear had been trying to convince someone to tell her what happened to the Alienage— beyond that, Alistair wanted to find his sister and Leliana wanted to find her old mentor. They would be trapped here for far too long, and his jaw ached to think about it.

“You worry too much,” Noll scolded from the bed. It was large and well used and Tamlen wished she wouldn’t sit on it. She always told him that he was too tense, too skittish, as bad as a halla sometimes, but she didn’t concern herself enough. They were in the thick of the woods surrounded by predators, and she was content to ignore it. “The bath is free. You can go first,” she offered.

“You go,” he insisted, trying to force himself to sound gentle. Noll put up with him and he was grateful, but for once she didn’t understand _why_ he was acting this way. He’d never been a particularly selfless elf, often toeing the line of being a flat-out bully. Back then he’d been fit and careless and nothing had ever hurt before.

The Blight had hurt. It had hurt enough to justify his caution even when Noll teased him for it.

“Get in the tub, Tam,” she said, not lifting her head from the pillows. A fine guard she would make, half asleep as she was, but he didn’t argue the point with her. He felt sweaty and heavy and though he tried to deny it, he was curious about the bath.

It was warm, which… of course it was. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting. It smelled like flowers and made his head feel sort of light. “Did we pay for this?” he asked, sinking a bit lower to cover his shoulders.

“Someone did.” That usually meant that Macha had either talked the madame out of a few baths, or slipped her some money to support the workers. Either way, Tamlen didn’t hate the gesture— especially when Noll came down from the bed to lean against the tub. “You like it, don’t you?” she teased, kissing his neck.

“It’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me,” he admitted, rolling his shoulders. Her mouth paused on his jaw.

“You didn’t tell me you were expanding your _vallaslin,”_ she said, reaching down to trace the curves against his collarbone. He tried to pretend like the flush that spread down his chest was from the heat instead of embarrassment.

“You were supposed to find out by the end of winter,” he admitted, reaching out to play with her hair. She frowned at his damp hands but didn’t deter him.

“Why?”

“I was on a pretty tight schedule. Somewhere between getting more _vallaslin_ and going out on regular hunts, I was… _planning_ on going out on my own to find you an offering.” He hadn’t discussed it with her— he knew he should have, but he’d wanted to do his _vallaslin_ first. From there the hunt would be simple, Creators willing, and they could have a late winter bonding.

She stared at him for a second, then laughed nervously. “Are you making fun of me?” she asked.

“Why would I?” If Fenarel or Junar had been there, maybe. He’d thought that they were… fairly aware of each other’s feelings at this point. Maybe he’d misread her somehow.

“I thought the day at the ruins was the first you’d thought of it,” she said, tracing an absent and meaningless rune on his shoulder.

“No.” _Creators_ no. “Was it the first you had?”

“No. When did you start?”

“Why do I have to answer first?” he asked, his arm comfortably resting around her. Noll’s chin was on her arm, all leaned over on the very brim of the tub.

“Because I said so first in the ruins,” she pointed out. He curled his nose.

“Telling me you wanted to spend time with me _barely_ counts,” he argued.

“And yet from that you managed to figure me all out, so go on. Spill.” She flicked some water at him and he sighed as dramatically as he could.

“The day I got my _vallaslin.”_ It was sort of embarrassing how clearly he remembered, actually. She’d made a little charm necklace for him for strength and protection— it was an ugly, misshapen little thing that to this day he couldn’t identify as a real animal, but she’d made it for _him_. She’d been so proud and the only thing keeping her from touching his face was the tenderness of the new marks.

“Really?” She looked delighted.

“Why would I lie about that?”

“I knew when you came out with the marks of Dirthamen,” she told him. They matched hers of Falon’din. He was curious _(too curious, which was what had gotten them into this mess)_ and she wanted to act as a guide. “Ashalle knew too. She told me when you— when the _shem_ made me leave you behind. She thought we would have been bonded.”

“I shouldn’t have waited so long,” he said with no small amount of regret.

“I waited just as long as you did,” she reminded him, her fingers stroking back his hair.

“I had _plans._ I was stalling— I was afraid you’d say no,” he admitted. She snorted.

“Why on earth would I do that?” There were a thousand reasons.

“We were— are— young. I thought you may not want to settle down, or that maybe you wanted to wait and see if you were really stuck with me,” he teased. Noll rolled her eyes.

“I’ve been stuck with you since I was born,” she reminded him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “I would’ve said yes,” she added. Tamlen supposed that was mostly for  _his_ benefit.

“I’ll have to find you something bigger than a bear before this is over,” he mused, turning her head properly to kiss her mouth. She hummed lightly, trailing her hand from his hair, down his jaw, to his chest where the beginnings of a full-body _vallaslin_ twisted against his collar.

“Maybe I’ll beat you to it and slay a dragon,” she teased, nipping his earlobe.

“And show me up in front of the clan?” he asked with mock offense.

“Ideally, yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> okay, forgot to do this last time so this time I will remember.
> 
> I hate ao3 feed blogs. I have a blog. It's much less popular than an ao3 stream blog but it's there and all my work gets posted there. this is posted there. nebulaad.tumblr.com is me. if ur gunna reblog the post from the feed blog, consider doing it from my blog instead. bless.
> 
> also okay right, no they don't do anything but argue with each other about who's gunna kill the bigger thing for the sake of romance. literally they open their eyes in the morning and immediately it's game on.


End file.
